


Timing is everything

by Tbob789



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, How Do I Tag, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-09-23 15:23:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tbob789/pseuds/Tbob789
Summary: Sherlock is determined to get Mycroft and Greg together.





	1. Chapter 1

Even Anderson noticed the confused look on Sherlock's face which was a rare sight. "What's wrong with him," Sherlock said looking disgusted. John looked at him confused. "Lestrade" Sherlock sighed "Don't you see it, John he's acting strange and I don't like it".  
John spent the rest of their cab ride home explaining to Sherlock how Greg has been down lately because he hasn't been in a relationship in months and that Greg has started becoming jealous when he sees couples. John felt bad for him. Sherlock, on the other hand, thought it was utterly ridiculous that Lestrade, their friend, was jealous of himself and John. "Well, I have a solution that'll kill two birds with the one stone!" Sherlock said happily. 'Oh Christ' John thought

The next morning, John was making tea for himself when he saw Mycroft Holmes standing in the doorway. 'And here I was expecting it'd be a quiet morning' John thought. "What's the emergency, brother mine," Mycroft said calmly looking at his younger brother. "I'm aware that you find this hard to fathom but I do have concerns that don't relate to you". Finally, the detective sitting in his chair decided to look up from his newspaper. 

Sherlock gestured for Mycroft to sit down then began to explain. "I've got a problem and you're going to fix it. I worked a case with Lestrade lately and he was bored. He didn't care as I explained things. I'm supposed to be the one that annoys him not the other way around" Sherlock finished hoping his brother would get the picture when there was silence Sherlock continued. "Lestrade is being annoying because he doesn't want to be single. You have a massive crush on him so go solve my problem". Mycroft instantly went extremely red and was suddenly wishing that he was invisible. John, on the other hand, had spat out the tea he was drinking in shock.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mycroft nervously considers helping Sherlock with his problem.

That evening when John got home from work the two brothers were still talking about "Sherlock's problem". John was planning on ignoring them but it's not everyday you see Sherlock Holmes playing matchmaker. So John sat close enough to them that he'd hear everything said without making it look like he's interfering and pretended to be busy on his laptop. "Is there not somebody else you could set him up with that he'd prefer" Mycroft asked quietly. "Don't be stupid" Sherlock replied earning a glare from his brother. "He fancies you. He is unable to stop staring at your arse whenever you're both together. It's revolting." Mycroft's face started to go red again but Sherlock just continued. "You've been in love with him for years. Stop being so anxious and go fix my problem. If Lestrade looks bored it takes the fun out of a case." Mycroft then turned to face John. "Could you give me advice, Doctor Watson?" He asked shocking John. "Good luck. He's your problem now." Sherlock said happily as he went to the kitchen to use his microscope.

John tried to hide his look of surprise as he looked up. "Hypothetically speaking if I was to meet him at work tomorrow accompanied by those donuts he likes and roses, do you think if I invited him for dinner he'd accept the invitation?" Mycroft had been nervously tapping his fingers as he spoke. John stopped for a while to think about how he was gonna answer this. He never thought he'd be in this situation. "He'll probably be delighted. We all see the way you two look at each other. You should be fine." John replied with a smile. 

"Should be" Mycroft repeated sounding disappointed. John looked at Sherlock then said "If you don't tell him, he'll never catch on. Trust me even the smartest people can be so oblivious that you have to tell them. Believe me mate, there's nothing worse than being left worrying if they care." Mycroft smiled at John's words and suddenly he felt less anxious. Mycroft fixed his tie before standing up. "Thank you both. I'm going to go arrange flowers." He said happily before leaving.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mycroft finally goes to talk to Greg

Mycroft looked at himself in the mirror. He was desperately trying to push away all of his insecure thoughts. Even whilst wearing his favorite suit, Mycroft still thought he looked overweight. He was always overweight or underweight. Mycroft has never been happy with the way he looks, not that he'd tell anyone else about that. Sometimes he hated mirrors because of the reflection starting back. But Mycroft had to make sure he looked better than normal if he was to impress Greg. Mycroft had imagined the day that he confessed his love to Greg for years. The thoughts of it both scared him and excited him. The fear of rejection almost made him want to cancel the plan. But Mycroft had told his brother and Watson that he would go through with this and Mycroft always tried to keep his word . Besides being labelled a coward was the last thing he needed.

A few hours later Mycroft was standing there ready to finally do it. Standing outside the detective inspectors office with a box of donuts and some roses was something Mycroft never thought he'd have the courage to do. But here he was. He took a deep breath before gently knocking on the door. "Please don't be bringing more bloody paperwork I'm almost finished" he heard Greg shout. Mycroft smiled before walking in. 

The D.I. was sitting at his desk drinking a coffee. "Oh, Mycroft" Greg said with surprise. "Sherlock wasn't here we wrapped up the last one a good few days ago." Mycroft nervously nodded and said "I know that". Greg's face suddenly changed and he stood up with a terrified look on his face. "Oh God. Christ. Mycroft, Has something happened to him?" He almost shouted. Mycroft shook his head reassuringly. Greg sat back down. "My brother is fine. I brought you these as a gift" Mycroft placed the box and the flowers on the table while his hands were shaking nervously. "I was wondering Gregory would you be free to go to dinner tonight to discuss things" Mycroft said quietly. Greg smiled at him yet he looked disappointed. "I'm sorry Mycroft. Busy tonight. Donovan set me up with a date. Some girl she went to school with or something. Maybe Some other time, yeah? Ta for the stuff".  
After a minute of silence Greg spoke again. "Myc? Mycroft are you okay?" Mycroft smiled at Greg. Emotionless is what he's thought himself to be or at least pretend to be. But this is the hardest moment for Mycroft to pretend not to care. "Of course I am. Goodbye Lestrade". Mycroft said before walking away as quick as he could. It wasn't until he was at home, completely concealed, that he let the tears fall. 

'All hearts are broken. Caring is not an advantage' Mycroft thought and that thought was repeatedly going through his head. Again and again. Like a mantra. While the tears continued to stream down his face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Sherlock discover that things didn't go to plan..

Sherlock had been grinning for the past few hours. Not that he wanted to complain but John thought this was very strange. "Why so happy?" John asked him as he brought him tea. Sherlock looked up at him, still smiling. "Lestrade. He's back to himself. Mycroft finally did it. Well technically it was all because of me. I should get all the credit for this. Aren't you proud of me?" Sherlock answered. John sat down across from him. Proudness was a bit of an understatement of how he feels about Sherlock. "Of course I'm proud of you,love" then John laughed. "Seriously though you're trying to take all the credit? I'm the one who gave Mycroft the advice." This somehow made Sherlock happier. He would've been quite disappointed if his John hadn't looked for a bigger piece of the pie. "I'm the one who gave my brother the idea." Sherlock said while laughing. The two continued to laugh about who should get more credit for their "successful" plan for what seemed like forever.

A few nights later, John was just after arriving at a pub ready to go out for a well deserved pint with Greg. They hadn't gone out together in weeks since they've both been busy. "Thought you'd never get here" he heard Greg say before he even saw him. John sat down beside him. "So nice to not have to be talking about a case. Need a break sometimes." Greg nodded. "Well, how'd the first date go?" John asked curiously. "First of many. Went to a fancy restaurant of course. She's so nice. Greg replied lovingly. John got a drink before saying. "Aw that sounds lovely, mate." Then it finally clicked. "Wait, she!". Greg looked at him puzzled. "Yeah Pamela my girlfriend." Greg said like he was stating the obvious. "Been on three dates now, John. I really like her." It was now when John finally realized that the plan had gone wrong. Well not completely wrong. Greg was happy but not with Mycroft. 

"Not that I don't want to hear about her. But have you been talking to Mycroft lately?" John asked wondering where it all went wrong. "Yeah I was actually. Just before me first date. Seemed kinda off. He brought me presents and asked if I was free to go talk with him. Roses too, look almost identical to the ones me Gran used to have. And oh God the donuts. It'd be weird if he knew they were my favorite. Well Mycroft does know everything. Do you think he knew those things?" Greg asked suddenly confused. "I think I need to call Sherlock" John said standing up. "Sorry just remembered something I need to tell him."  
'I hope I wasn't this bloody oblivious'. John thought as he opened his phone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Sherlock's date night gets interrupted.

That night John and Sherlock were arguing again. " How could this happen I had a foolproof plan. Stupid Donovan. This is all your fault." He said pointing at John. "How is this my fault? A few days ago you were taking all of the credit." John said not knowing wether he should be angry or confused so he decided on a mix of both. "You gave Mycroft the advice. Got his hopes up. Not my fault and not really my problem anymore." Sherlock replied. John shook his head. "Speaking of Mycroft you're going to go talk to him now. Call him or go see him in person. He'd do it for you." After earning a loud groan from Sherlock, John added. "If you don't date night is cancelled tonight". Sherlock grabbed his phone. "I'll arrange to meet him then" Sherlock muttered. "He's coming here in an hour."

"I told you I'm fine" Mycroft shouted. "And I told you that you're lying" Sherlock shouted back. Someone knocked at the door. "You two behave" John said quietly before opening the door. He had never been so unhappy to see Greg. He was happy for him of course. But seeing him at his door accompanied by his girlfriend while Mycroft was in the flat made him very unhappy. "Well, we're going out wondering if Sherlock and yourself wanted to tag along. Oh Mycroft's here" Greg said happily not realizing how awkward everybody else felt. As Greg and Pamela walked in, Mycroft immediately grabbed his things. Mycroft muttered a quick goodbye before leaving. "I'm going after him." Sherlock said quietly. "Damn you, Watson for convincing me to be a good brother." Just like that the Holmes brothers had fled. Greg smiled at Pamela then let go of her hand. "Right off to the loo, then" Greg said. Leaving John and Pamela awkwardly sitting together in silence. 

After a few minutes of anxiously checking his phone and thinking about how this could've gone so much better if Sherlock had gone to Mycroft's, John finally gave in and tried making conversation. "So you and Greg? That must be getting serious by now." John asked with a smile. To say he was surprised by her response is an understatement. "Yeah he's great" then she sighed loudly. "He's a sweet guy and everything. Taking me out to nice places. But he's older than I thought. A lot older. I don't think it's gonna work. But hey Sherlock's cute. Do you know if he's single?" John stared at her for a minute wondering if he was imagining things. "Sorry but Sherlock is.." What John really wanted to finish that sentence with was 'mine' but he went with an easier option. "Off the market. He's dating somebody. Pretty serious. Pamela, you've got to tell this to Greg. Tell Greg how you actually feel." John said calmly. "Tell me what" They heard Greg say as he returned. 'Please don't let this conversation happen in the flat. Please don't let this happen in the flat. This has been awkward enough' John thought. Date night wasn't exactly going to plan.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night slowly starts to get more interesting for John

John had planned on going for a date with his boyfriend and going for drinks with one of his best friends. Date night seemed like it was gonna be perfect because he'd get to spend time with two of his favorite people. Now John was sitting in the flat alone. Greg and Pamela had thankfully left him over an hour ago. So much for the perfect date night. John was about to go put the kettle on when he heard a knock at the door. "Can I come in" Greg said sadly once John opened the door. "Course, mate" John replied. He made tea for the two of them as Greg explained what happened. "Yeah so she broke up with me. But I'm glad she was the one to do it. At least she didn't wait months to tell me. Not great for me first time getting back in the game. I'm just sick of not being good enough for anyone." Sounding less sad he said "Oh thanks for tea" Just as John was about to answer ,with the response he'd thought of the whole time Greg was gone, the Holmes brothers came into the flat.

"How many times to I have to tell you, I'm not good enough for him" Mycroft suddenly stopped and realised that they weren't alone. "Oh you two are still here. Where's Pamela?" Greg, who was still oblivious as ever, was currently wondering why Mycroft was blushing furiously. Why would he need to cut off his conversation just because they're there. Sherlock closed the door while looking at Greg. "Mycroft's got something he'd like to tell you" he said grinning. Mycroft looked at the floor and replied with a quiet "Now's not the time, Sherlock". Mycroft picked the wrong time to look at John because John, even though he was smiling, looked as though he was ready to kill. "It's now or never Mycroft" John said smiling. "Just tell me, Myc" Greg said looking annoyed yet curious at the same time.

Endless negative thoughts about how much worse this could get were going through Mycroft's head. Mycroft's hands started to sweat and he started tapping his fingers off his knee nervously. Usually he's able to hide his nerves. Hide all his emotions actually. But typically now was the time his barriers all shut down. 'Rejection is normal' Mycroft thought. 'So is unrequited love. Why do I break the promise to myself,to never be vulnerable, only when it comes it him.' Mycroft took a few deep breaths and started ignoring the voice in his head. He looked to his brother, to John and finally to his Greg before finally breaking the silence.

"Gregory, I have wanted to tell you this for a long time but I've been afraid. Now I'm still afraid but I'm doing this anyway. I love you. I have since the day we met and I probably always will. I absolutely love everything about. you. There are many different ways that true love is defined. As a realist, it is very hard to believe any of it. True love and soulmates sounded impossible. But they describe how i feel when I think about you." To say that Greg couldn't believe what he was hearing was an understatement but he tried not to be overwhelmed as he took this all in. Out of all the possible things he thought Mycroft Holmes would've told him, this wasn't close to any of them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock decides to hurry things along

John was finding it hard to believe Mycroft had actually done it. He would've preferred a different setting to his flat but beggers can't be choosers. Greg still had that sad look on his face that arrived shortly after the breakup. Greg was the one to break the silence. "Myc, I'm gonna be honest with you. I really do like you, darl. I do and I'd love to go on a date with you." Greg felt extremely self conscious even though he was surrounded by friends. Well at least people he'd call his friends. Greg sighed before continuing. "But I'm not doing this again. I'm not going on the first couple of dates. Falling in love, letting myself put all me trust in somebody. For them to break my heart. I'm never good enough. They always find somebody better. Or in the other case I'm pushed aside because work is more important it's not worth it. I'm always the one who's left alone." Greg kept looking from Mycroft to the floor hoping this would all be over soon. Mycroft and Greg currently looked as sad as two abandoned puppies. "Okay my turn to speak" Sherlock said loudly.

The other three simultaneously thought 'Oh no'. Sherlock smiled at the three of them addressing his audience then he began. "John looks at me a certain way. It's like he's looking at me like I'm his everything. It took me far to long to understand why he did this and it took even longer to understand why he kept staring at my arse". John suddenly started blushing. "Is there a point to this Sherlock?" He asked trying to hide his embarrassment. "Obviously. Lestrade, Mycroft looks at you the exact same way and has been for years. Even caught him looking at your arse too. Honestly Mycroft, do you have no shame. Could've been more subtle. Don't give me that look John I know you have no shame." Sherlock continued putting emphasis on that 'know'.

Greg was about to say something but before he could even open his mouth, Sherlock made it clear that he wasn't finished. "As for the other things. He has loved you for years. In Mycroft's opinion, you're the greatest person to ever walk the Earth. The only other person he gets nervous around is our mummy. This may surprise you but work wouldn't be an issue with Mycroft. He drops everything at a moment's notice to help me no matter how ridiculous the situation. As annoying as it is, he comes to check on me once a week. All I'm saying is give my brother a chance. Right I'm done it's somebody else's turn to talk." Both Greg and Mycroft felt a little bit better after Sherlock made it clear that he thinks they should get together. Greg now had to decide wether or not he was going to take a chance on Mycroft.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock can finally congratulate himself on a job well done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took so long❤

At least Greg was able to hide his nerves. Mycroft’s hands had been shaking since the conversation had begun. John had never seen him this nervous. As a matter of fact, John has never seen him nervous at all. Things were extremely quiet which was unusual for a room with two Holmes brothers. Greg made his way over to Mycroft so that there was practically no space between them. Greg slowly reached down to hold Mycroft’s hands. Mycroft didn’t even look up as Greg interlocked their fingers. “Mycie, look at me darlin’ ” Greg said calmly. When Mycroft looked up, Greg had a huge grin on his face. Mycroft has always thought Greg's smile was one of the cutest things he had ever seen. Mycroft couldn't help but smile back. “Mycroft Holmes, will you be my boyfriend?” Greg asked happily. All thoughts of his disastrous day suddenly disappeared. “Gregory Lestrade, I was beginning to think you’d never ask.” Mycroft’s nerves were now replaced with relief. “Sherlock, just a clear warning for ya. I’m about to kiss your brother.” Greg said as his usual confidence returned.

"Coming, love" John said as he picked up his mug and sat down beside Sherlock. "Well I do hope you're not coming already I haven't even kissed you yet." Sherlock said smiling. After the other two had left, their flat was back to normal. That is as normal as it gets for John and Sherlock. "Worked out for the best then, didn't it? We did good." John said meeting Sherlock's smile. Sherlock laughed. "What's so funny?" John asked puzzled as usual. "You're taking credit for this. It was all me. I've been planning this for years." John shook his head. "Oh no you're good but you're not that good. You can't be serious. There's no way you had this all worked out. That's impossible." Even though in reality, John knows that there's nothing that could surprise him at this stage. Now this was Sherlock's favourite part. "Yet again you underestimate me, my dear Watson." Sherlock was enjoying this far too much.

"My brother first met Lestrade shortly after I did. He tried to conceal it but he was smitten. Always seems more interested in a case when Lestrade is involved. He accidentally referred to Lestrade as the 'handsome detective' multiple times. Ghastly I know. I don't exactly belive in love at first sight. But Mycroft loved him since they first met and ,as we both know, still does. Lestrade on the other hand thought Mycroft was handsome but was in denial about it up until yesterday. In denial over the fact that he had fallen head over heels for my brother. So I needed to wait. Timing is everything, John. First you need to catch Mycroft being vulnerable which isn't common. The weak angle is the fact that he's in love. He hides it but couldn't hide it from me. Then you wait for Lestrade to be unhappy. Next step, you make sure Sally, the most obvious friend for him to go for, sets him up with her one unmarried friend which I made sure was an awful partner for Lestrade. All I had to do then was get yourself on board motivating Mycroft yet making him self conscious. Hold the applause." Sherlock finished extremely proud of himself. Meanwhile John sat there in shock debating silently with himself about whether to believe this or not. Once John came to a conclusion, he got a sip of his tea before saying "Okay show off it's now time to give your boyfriend a kiss." Sherlock continued smiling as he said "gladly." The poor cup of tea was abandoned.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for any comments or kudos ❤


End file.
